“Everything She Touched Turned to Beauty”
In Donaldsonville, Georgia, in ’34 she came,
Born to Elton and Wima Kate, she carried their name.
With five strong siblings by her side —
Sherry, Winston, Martha (Poochie), Buddy, Lawrence with pride.
She worked the soil, a sharecropper’s child,
But her dreams reached high, her spirit wild.
To Berry College she found her way,
Where love and chemistry lit her brighter days.
Everything she touched turned to beauty,
Every tree, every child, every prayer.
With hands in the earth, and fire in her voice,
She made loving this planet a noble choice.
Oh, she gave and she grew, she taught and she knew —
That love is the deepest duty.
Everything she touched turned to beauty.
She met her Mac and held his hand,
Built a life on fourteen acres of land.
From the CDC to the halls of the EPA,
She fought for the Earth in a powerful way.
She taught the students of UGA,
How to build green futures and lead the way.
In D.C.’s halls she raised her tone,
Teaching lawmakers how the Earth is our home.
Everything she touched turned to beauty,
Every bloom, every smile, every stone.
She lived to plant hope, not just seeds,
She met the world’s wounds with powerful deeds.
Oh, she gave and she grew, she fostered and knew —
That kindness was sacred duty.
Everything she touched turned to beauty.
Ten foster hearts she sheltered in grace,
Each one left with her loving trace.
Two brilliant children, Dan and Cindy,
Raised in a home where love came freely.
She founded KOCB — Keep Oconee green,
Where flowers bloom where trash had been.
Fifty-five years with Mac by her side,
Making this world more dignified.
Now on May thirteenth, the skies turned gold,
As Heaven called the story she told.
She joined her Mac beyond the blue,
Together again, in love so true.
Everything she touched turned to beauty,
Now she gardens where stars softly gleam.
With Mac once more, hand in hand,
Still planting peace across the land.
Oh, she gave and she grew, she taught and she knew —
That love is eternity’s duty.
Everything she touched…
Turned to beauty.